Nigella Lawson has admitted she is “a bit nervous” ahead of appearing on The Great British Bake Off.
Lawson, 66, is replacing Dame Prue Leith as a judge on the Channel 4 baking show after the 86-year-old announced in January she was stepping down from the programme she had joined in 2017.
First look in the tent
Before the new season premieres next month, Lawson has shared a post about joining the long-running series. In a clip shared on Instagram, she is in the Bake Off tent and walks up to the camera with a fork before saying: “Oh luscious.” A graphic then covers the screen which says: “The Bake is Back.”
Captioning the post, Lawson said: “I’m a bit nervous, very excited, and extremely happy: Bake Off is back on our screens next month. I’ve loved every minute. It’s a real honour to be part of something so special. Thank you Paul Hollywood, Alison Hammond and Noel Fielding making me feel so instantly part of the family. You three plus cake: talk about the dream job.”
Reactions and first day
Commenting on the post, Alan Carr shared a series of fire emojis, while Queer Eye star Tan France said he “cannot wait” to see her on the show. Lawson’s post comes a day after Channel 4 shared a first-look image of her on her first day of filming.
The snap showed her wearing a black zipped dress next to presenters Fielding and Hammond, and her fellow judge Hollywood. Filming is complete on the season, which will air from next month. Channel 4 said fans of the show “can expect to see Nigella bringing her trademark warmth, wit and passion for flavour to the tent”.
Lawson's career and excitement
Speaking on ITV’s This Morning in January about joining Bake Off, Lawson said: “I am excited, but I take it very seriously. The thing about Bake Off is that it’s about the programme – which is an institution of national treasure status – and it’s about the bakers, and I just want to be there and be a part of it.”
One of the most recognisable faces on TV, Lawson became a household name in the late 1990s with her hugely successful cookbooks and cookery shows. The Oxford graduate worked as a journalist before becoming a food writer.
Her first cookery book, How To Eat, became a bestseller, while her follow-up, How To Be A Domestic Goddess – described as the book that “kick-started the cupcake revolution” – was also hugely successful, winning her the British Book Award for author of the year in 2001.
She then starred in the Channel 4 show Nigella Bites, before she crossed over to ITV and then the BBC. Lawson has also appeared on MasterChef Australia and MasterChef US, as well as acting as a judge on two seasons of the Australian cooking game show My Kitchen Rules.
